Forbidden Promises

by Synithia Williams

  “Good night,” she said softly.

  She felt his gaze on her as she walked to the door. She looked over her shoulder once more. He straightened the papers on the table, but covertly watched her while Byron still talked. Her head nudged slightly to the right in the direction of her room.

  Travis’s eyes widened, and he raised a brow. The question clear. Was she sure?

  Her chin lifted and lowered, then she turned and hurried to her room before she thought about what she’d just done.

  In her room, she carefully closed the door before crossing to the window and dropping her purse on the desk. When had she suddenly become a thrill seeker? Of course, Travis wouldn’t come to her room. For one, her dad was home. The house would implode with Grant’s anger if he found them together in her room. Two, she had no idea where Elaina was. She could picture the awkward scene: her leading Travis out of her room and Elaina bumping into them. Yeah...she shouldn’t have given any type of invitation for Travis to come to her room.

  Thirty minutes later, Travis hadn’t come to her room and she stopped fretting about the stupidity of her move. By now Travis and Byron would have finished straightening up. Byron would have walked Travis out. It’s not like Travis could say, “Hold up, I’m going by India’s room before I go.”

  India slipped out of her blouse and unbuttoned her slacks. There was a knock on the door right as she slipped her pants off. Her pulse skyrocketed. She grabbed the satin bathrobe draped over the end of her bed and slipped it on. She hurried to the door, took a fortifying breath, then cracked it open.

  Elaina stood at the door. India tried not to show her disappointment.

  “Do you have any ibuprofen?” Elaina pressed a hand to her temple. She was still in the clothes she’d had on earlier. Her eyes were red rimmed, and stress lined her mouth.

  India opened the door wider. “You okay?”

  Elaina grimaced. “Headache. I don’t want to go searching through the medicine cabinet for something.”

  “Yeah, sure. Give me a second.” India went to her purse and pulled out the bottle of ibuprofen. She took the medicine back to Elaina. “Keep it. I’ll buy another tomorrow.”

  Elaina was already nodding and walking away. “Thanks.”

  “Elaina, are you sure you’re okay?”

  Elaina threw a haughty look over her shoulder. “Of course, don’t be ridiculous, India,” she said in a voice that made India feel ridiculous for even asking.

  She went back into her room and closed the door. Now irritated and edgy. She loved her sister, but Elaina sure as hell made it hard to care about her sometimes. She went to get pajamas out of the drawer.

  Her bedroom door opened and closed. India spun around, then sucked in a breath. Travis stood just inside the door.

  “Sorry, I was going to knock, but I heard a door open,” he said in a hushed voice. His eyes ran over her, raising the temperature in the room by a thousand degrees. “I had to see you.”

  India didn’t care about getting caught. The stupidity of having him in her room. The fallout of their relationship. What choices they’d make tomorrow. He’d come to her. She was across the room and in his arms in a blink.

  His arms wrapped around her, his hard chest pressed into the softness of her breasts, the strength of his legs sliding across her bare legs. Travis kissed her like he’d waited his entire life for this moment.

  “I didn’t think you would come,” she whispered against his lips, not bothering to hide how much she missed him.

  His hands eased inside the robe, caressing her skin. One slipped beneath the silk of her underwear to grab her ass. The other tugged on the strap of her bra. “Did you think I would stay away when you looked at me like that?” He sounded as desperate as her.

  “Like what?” Her head fell back.

  His lips trailed down her neck. He pulled down the cup of her bra. His mouth brushed the top of the full mound. His tongue ran across the sensitive tip. Sucked deep and hard. She felt the pull all the way down in her core. She pushed her chest forward. Needing the reassurance of his touch. That he was just as caught up as she was.

  “Like you wanted me to do this,” he whispered, his lips brushing her nipple.

  India bit her lip to keep from crying out. Her sex clenched. “I want more than that.” She pulled his head up and met his eyes. She wanted forever. She wanted to kiss him in front of everyone. For him to take her hand in his without fear of repercussions. She wanted to believe everything would work out and they’d have time to explore and grow the love blossoming between them. She wanted that so badly tears burned her eyes.

  A line formed between Travis’s brows. He cupped her cheek in his hand and ran a thumb across her lower lip. “You can have all of me, India. My heart, my fears, everything.” His eyes didn’t waver. His voice was thick with emotion.

  Her heart felt as if it would explode, it was so full. She was desperate to believe this time was real.

  They both rushed in for a kiss. India kissed him with a fierceness she wasn’t aware she was capable of. Travis held her as if he feared she would let go.

  They moved across the room. His mouth never left hers. Their bodies bumped and rubbed against each other as they stumbled their way toward her bed, each frantic brush and frenzied caress heightening their need to get closer to each other. The need to feel Travis inside her, on top of her, as a part of her guided her every movement.

  India hurriedly worked the button of his slacks and jerked down the zipper. She pulled on the opening of his boxers until his dick spilled out. She wrapped her hands around the length of him, caressing the long thick flesh with worshipful hands.

  “Damn, India, I love it when you touch me like that,” Travis said in a deep, trembling voice.

  His body shook and the fingers in her hair tightened. Their tongues danced decadently as India savored the swollen, heavy heat in her hands. Travis broke away from her long enough to push down his pants and sit on the edge of her bed. India tossed off the robe. Emotion flared in Travis’s gaze. She slowed down as she unhooked her bra and slid down her underwear. Her sex grew more slick and swollen with each ragged breath he drew in.

  Strong hands grasped her hips and pulled her forward. “I don’t deserve you, but I’m never letting go.” The fierce claim spilled from his lips seconds before his mouth closed over one taut nipple.

  India clutched his broad shoulders, too overwhelmed to do much more than soak in the glorious things he did to her body. His hand nudged her thighs apart before rising to cup the wet curls at their juncture. Her nails dug into his shoulders. She sucked in air between her teeth and didn’t care if she melted into a puddle right there at his feet.

  “India.” He slid two thick fingers across her plump clit. “God, I love the way you feel. So hot and slick.” He kissed the soft spot between her breasts. “So sweet.”

  “Let me touch you some more,” she pleaded. The trembles starting low in her midsection were an erotic warning that she wouldn’t be able to hold on much longer.

  “You have forever to touch me.” He teased her breasts with light nips and soft kisses while his fingers played the most beautiful symphony between her legs. Her breathing shortened and every muscle in her body quivered. Pressure built inside of her until she feared she would explode.

  “Now, Travis, please,” she moaned.

  He slid back on the bed. India crawled onto his lap, and straddled his waist. His lips trailed down her neck, lightly played across her shoulders. The heavy press of his erection between them was a temptation she couldn’t ignore. Reaching down, she took his dick in her hand. He grabbed her waist and lifted her. She positioned the blunt tip of him at her slick opening, and Travis brought her down hard. Filling her completely. Touching more than just the tender part wrapped around him, but grabbing her heart and soul with the tender vow in his eyes.

  India rotat
ed her hips, pulling him deeper. Their bodies shook. Travis’s lids lowered. He groaned into her shoulder and she clenched her teeth to stop the cries of pure pleasure. When he raised his head and kissed her again as if she were the manifestation of every wish he’d ever made, India squeezed him tight and let her emotions take over.

  Travis was here, in her room, in her bed, and at this moment she didn’t give a damn what it took to keep him there with her.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  TRAVIS FINALLY DRAGGED himself out of the warmth of India’s bed at three in the morning. He’d stayed longer than he’d planned. One kiss had turned into another, one caress became multiple, and one quick question led to a conversation neither wanted to end. That was the way things had always been with India. Nothing was ever quick and simple. They’d start a conversation and it would carry on throughout the day via text messages.

  But it was more than just how easily he could talk to her—he didn’t want to leave her. Ever. Tonight brought everything into crystal clear focus. He’d been so dumb back then to have considered what was between them to only be friendship. He was not going to be dumb now. He didn’t care what he had to do, what concessions needed to be made, or even if he had to follow her to Los Angeles. He was not ruining this chance with India.

  India shifted in the bed. She reached for him in her sleep, and he smiled while longing pierced his chest. They shouldn’t have to sneak around like this.

  India’s head lifted. She looked around, frowning, then spotted him. “What time is it?”

  “Three a.m.,” he answered, keeping his voice low. “I should have left hours ago.” He found his shirt at the foot of her bed and slipped his arms in the sleeves.

  India slid out of bed. Naked and glorious in the moonlight filtering through the curtains. His hands froze on the buttons of his shirt. The need to wrap his arms around her waist and draw her body back into bed pounded in his blood.

  “I shouldn’t have told you to come to my room.” She took over buttoning his shirt. “It’s too risky.”

  “Which is why we should tell everyone what’s going on instead of sneaking around.” He placed his hands on her hips. Her smooth skin enticed him to make love to her one more time. Better yet, bring her back to his place where they could be together without the prying eyes of her meddling family.

  “I don’t know,” she said, not meeting his eyes. “Elaina was really upset today. Work is stressing her out. The primaries are in a few more weeks, but I don’t think that’ll make anything easier.”

  Travis didn’t give a damn about any of that. Not after they’d spent the past few hours in each other’s arms. “Nothing is going to make her work less stressful, or make it easier for her to accept what’s going on. We’ve wasted too much time as it is.”

  She nodded but her full lips tilted down in a frown. “Can we not talk about this right now? I don’t want to end the night on a sour note. I don’t want to think about the consequences right now. I just want to enjoy this moment.”

  Travis reluctantly let the topic slide. He needed to get out of the house. The late hour didn’t mean someone in the house wasn’t up. Patricia had always arrived early to start breakfast for the family. Now that she and Grant were engaged, she might be living there. Travis ran the very real chance of running into her in the hallways on her way to the kitchen. He doubted she used the kitchen entrance anymore.

  He leaned down and kissed India. Her body was soft and warm from the bed. Her curves as tempting as a pile of silk cushions after an arduous day. He pulled back before he lost himself in another kiss as he’d done earlier. The ticking of the clock in her room a reminder he was running out of time.

  “I’ll call you later today,” he said. “I’ll be in court all day.” The reminder was like putting on a coat made of lead. His family would be there. Watching and waiting for him to make a decision. Throw the case, and prove he was still loyal; win, and forever be considered a traitor.

  India pressed a hand to the side of his face. “What’s wrong?”

  He tried not to scowl. The concern in her soft eyes said he’d failed. “Thinking about the day ahead.”

  “I know this case has to be hard for you,” she said. “I’m sorry you’re in this position.”

  “I wish I knew how to fix this,” he admitted. “The evidence is clear. My cousin clearly had a motive for going into Mr. King’s business. He’d told people he was willing to kill Zachariah if he didn’t give him the money he wanted. Zachariah protected his business. Shot him in self-defense. My cousin shot twice. Why did he have to go in there?” He’d been asking himself the question ever since he’d learned about his cousin’s death. The question no one would ever get the answer to.

  “You know why. That was the life he lived. The life he chose. The same life your family wanted you to choose instead of becoming a lawyer and working for our family. He made the decision, and that decision killed him. You don’t have to agree with the outcome, but if your client was really defending himself, then you can’t feel bad for taking the case.”

  “Except my family is viewing this case as the final proof I’ve turned my back on them. Did you know your father purchased the land my dad inherited at a tax sale? That the very field he hired me to work in once belonged to my family?”

  Her eyes widened. “Are you sure?”

  “That’s according to my uncle. I haven’t had the chance to talk to Grant about it. If it’s true, does it even matter? He purchased it legally at a tax sale. Not that something being legal will matter to my family. I worked for the enemy, now I’m defending the enemy.”

  The situations weren’t connected, but Travis still couldn’t shake the frustration of feeling that every choice he made came with fucked-up consequences. Whatever reason Grant had to help him didn’t take away from the fact that Grant had made sure Travis wasn’t the one breaking into Zachariah’s business along with his cousin, or that in his dad’s world Travis making a better life for himself regardless of the means to get there would have increased the chasm of animosity between them.

  “You’re doing your job,” India said firmly. “Don’t let your family’s beliefs or my dad’s relationship with your father make you doubt yourself. The only person who has to live with the consequences of your actions is you.”

  The memory of the hatred in Devon’s and Mitch’s eyes flashed in Travis’s mind. “I don’t think I’m coming out of this either way.”

  India gripped his arm. “What does that mean?”

  He shook his head. She didn’t need to know about the threats his uncle had made. He should have gone to the police, but a part of him still believed Mitch was trying to scare him. Despite what his family thought of him, they wouldn’t hurt him if this didn’t go well.

  I hope.

  “Nothing. Either way this case goes, I’m going to get flak for it. And you’re right, I’ll talk to Grant one day about why he helped me after purchasing my family’s land, but for now there are more important things to work out.” He brushed his lips across hers. Like figuring out how to convince India he meant what he said and tell her family about their relationship with the lowest number of casualties. He glanced at the clock. Twenty minutes had passed since he’d slipped out of her bed. “I’ve got to go.”

  She followed his gaze and nodded. “Okay, please call me after court. Tell me how it went.”

  “I will.” He kissed her again. Quickly, then went to the door.

  India followed. “I should walk you out.”

  “No, it’ll be bad enough if I’m caught. If I’m caught with you, that’ll be even worse. I’ll think of something.”

  She nodded but he saw the reluctance in her eyes. He cracked open her door and listened. The house was quiet. He gave her one last lingering kiss before he slipped out of the door. Hurried down the hall to the stairs that led to the back of the house. Thanked heaven when no one
came across him.

  Once down the stairs, he crept toward the kitchen. If Patricia wasn’t there yet, he’d go that way. He’d pretended to drive off when Byron left earlier and parked his car in one of the tobacco fields behind the estate. Going out of the kitchen would make slipping through the grounds to the fields much easier. He didn’t worry about setting off any alarms or getting caught by surveillance cameras. He knew the codes and where every camera was pointed.

  There was a light on in the kitchen. Not unusual since Patricia typically left a light on over the sink or near the pantry. Still, he peeked around the door to be sure. Seeing no one, he silently sprinted toward the door. A groan echoed in the room. Travis froze. His heart pounded as he thought of a dozen lies for why he was here.

  This is stupid. They needed to tell someone.

  He slowly turned toward the sound and frowned. Elaina sat at one of the barstools at the counter, her body slumped over on the granite surface. An empty wine bottle and glass next to her hand.

  “Shit,” he silently cursed.

  She was still up to this. After finding her like this a few times after they were married, he’d suggested she try talking to him about whatever bothered her instead of a wine bottle. She’d gotten angry, sarcastically apologized for inconveniencing him and worked harder to hide her emotions and her drinking from him. He should leave her there. Let her wake up with a backache from her uncomfortable position to go with the hangover. Heaven knew if she caught him there this late, the fallout would be ten times worse.

  He turned to the door, twisted the knob, then cursed again. He couldn’t leave her there.

  He went over and lifted her into his arms. She groaned, but as expected didn’t wake up. Travis carried her to the sunroom next to the kitchen and gently laid her on the sofa. There was no way in hell he’d take her back up the stairs. Explaining that would be worse than explaining being in the house.

  He pulled the throw off the back of the sofa and spread the blanket over her. When he looked at her face, her eyes were open and staring at him. In the dim light, he thought he saw traces of dried tears along her cheek.